Medieval History
The fabled city of Timbuktu, a place of enigma for centuries, has now given the world another mystery: What happened to thousands of priceless, ancient manuscripts that have vanished into the dusty Sahara winds?
When hundreds of French soldiers rolled into the remote desert city in northern Mali on Monday, cheered by thousands of residents who were ecstatic that the Islamist rebels had fled, one of the biggest fears was the fate of Timbuktu?s ornately crafted manuscripts, as precious to world history as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The city?s mayor, exiled far away in Mali?s capital, alleged that the Islamist extremists had torched the manuscript libraries, burning them to the ground. This was quickly disproved by a Sky TV crew embedded with the French soldiers, who found the main library intact, alleviating the worst fears of many scholars.
Inside the library, television reports showed a few small piles of ash, along with dozens of empty boxes. Up to 10,000 manuscripts were gone. The immediate assumption was that the Islamist militia groups had stolen or destroyed them ? although subsequent reports suggested that many of them had been hidden and saved.
Click here to read this article from The Globe and Mail
- Bulk Of Timbuktu Manuscripts Survived Occupation Unharmed
The majority of Timbuktu's ancient manuscripts appear to be safe and unharmed after the Saharan city's 10-month occupation by Islamist rebel fighters, experts said on Wednesday, rejecting some media reports of their widespread destruction. Denying...
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- Islamist Fighters In Timbuktu Continue Destruction Of City?s Mausoleums, Heritage
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- Timbuktu: Mali's Treasure At Risk From Armed Uprising
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Medieval History
Priceless manuscripts missing in Timbuktu
When hundreds of French soldiers rolled into the remote desert city in northern Mali on Monday, cheered by thousands of residents who were ecstatic that the Islamist rebels had fled, one of the biggest fears was the fate of Timbuktu?s ornately crafted manuscripts, as precious to world history as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The city?s mayor, exiled far away in Mali?s capital, alleged that the Islamist extremists had torched the manuscript libraries, burning them to the ground. This was quickly disproved by a Sky TV crew embedded with the French soldiers, who found the main library intact, alleviating the worst fears of many scholars.
Inside the library, television reports showed a few small piles of ash, along with dozens of empty boxes. Up to 10,000 manuscripts were gone. The immediate assumption was that the Islamist militia groups had stolen or destroyed them ? although subsequent reports suggested that many of them had been hidden and saved.
Click here to read this article from The Globe and Mail
- Bulk Of Timbuktu Manuscripts Survived Occupation Unharmed
The majority of Timbuktu's ancient manuscripts appear to be safe and unharmed after the Saharan city's 10-month occupation by Islamist rebel fighters, experts said on Wednesday, rejecting some media reports of their widespread destruction. Denying...
- ?in The Beginning?...bringing The Scrolls Of Genesis And The Ten Commandments Online
A little over a year ago, we helped put online five manuscripts of the Dead Sea Scrolls?ancient documents that include the oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence. Written more than 2,000 years ago on pieces of parchment and papyrus, they were...
- Islamist Fighters In Timbuktu Continue Destruction Of City?s Mausoleums, Heritage
Muslim extremists continued destroying the heritage of the ancient Malian city of Timbuktu on Monday, razing tombs and attacking the gate of a 600-year-old mosque, despite growing international outcry. The International Criminal Court has described the...
- Timbuktu: Mali's Treasure At Risk From Armed Uprising
For centuries, Timbuktu has existed in the Western imagination as a byword for the most exotic, far-flung place conceivable. Situated on the southern edge of the Sahara, it acquired a near-mythical status in distant countries for its fabled inaccessibility,...
- Pages From History: The Best Of The Bodleian
Deep underground, 20ft below the sandy-coloured stones of Oxford, mile upon mile of shelves lie dusty and empty. The entire contents of the New Bodleian Library ? one of the most ancient and precious collections in the world, founded by Thomas Bodley...